Adventures in the 13th Age

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Here Be Dragons

Blackness. A silky female voice over, “You shan’t find solace with me, Callista.”
A moment of whirling motion: someone is fighting. Back to blackness.
“I warned you to avoid entanglements.”
Another moment, longer now. We see Nameless surrounded by armored men. They leap at her.
“And you insisted that you could handle it.”
Extreme close up of a golden guantlet being eaten away by acid, then blackness again.
“And yet I had my doubts.” Nameless stands, bloody, surrounded now by bodies.
“That is why you have been followed.”Nameless Is running down a dark street. A wailing comes from somewhere.
“That is why you have been tested.”Nameless runs past a well-lit street fair, where young goblins are riding a large lizard creature. Calliope music starts quietly, becoming louder as the scene progresses.
“That is why you will be tested again.”Nameless steps into a building that astute viewers recognize as the soup kitchen where Nameless and Vessel met. “We’ve been made!”
“And yet you come to me and expect my good graces?” We cut to an extreme close up of blue-lipsticked lips, frowning. “Child, you deserve punishment for your transgressions.”Vessel and the others stand from the table where a card game is progressing. The spurts of action meld together at this point and we see the rest in situ.
“But your mistress is no stranger to mercy. Mercy and I have an ambassador, and his name is Atonement.”
Everyone stands, readying for a fight. They look to the door, still cracked open. The calliope plays on.
“The Wyrm’s Order seeks to carry some valuable through my city- my city!- this very night. And you are the one who shall stop them.”
The door stands still, motionless.
“And if you do not, you had best hope that your destiny can outrun the terrors I will send after at you.”
The door creaks in the wind. Nameless, no one is coming and you’ve roused your friends w ithout explanation. What do you do?

Int, Soup Kitchen

Nameless appologizes, then lies through her teeth. Claiming that “the balance of power in the empire is at stake,” she intimates that the alliance between The Emperor and The Three might fall due to some well-intentioned but ill-informed members of the Golden Order.

Törk makes sure that they’re not about to get into a fight. When he is assured of this, he settles in and agrees to help, if given one round now and two after. Nameless agrees. The others seem okay with this deal, but Malena is unsure.

Törk looks concerned. The camera pans and we see that he is watching Malena watch the others.

Int, Soup Kitchen

All have returned to the Soup Kitchen to share what they have learned.

Nameless goes first. The target is one Ethril, an elf lord who fled the court some time ago and has been residing in Santa Cora. He was not abducted– he went of his own volition– but he was not happy to go.

Purge explains that three city blocks of the Dregs were recently purchased by this selfsame Ethril, including a disused hotel that has recently staffed up its guards.

Someone says that they’ve found their target. Purge shakes his head; the hotel is a decoy.

Ext, Library

Outside a library in the Dregs, run by the Golden Order. A single Order member stands guard outside as Malena, Purge, and Vessel approach. Vessel shakes his head, “I lived in this city for years and never knew of this place.”

Malena stops to talk to the guard. “I must talk to your Captain.” He looks unlikely to grant this request, and so she draws out a golden necklace.

Flashback: A Safe House

Ser Lorwick nurses Malena back to health. She asks why he would do so, and when he tells her about The Great Gold Wyrm’s orders to go out and do good, she asks more. We quickly montage through her slowly healing and learning.

The guard nods, “Welcome, sister. The Captain is upstairs.”

Int, Library Office

Malena, Purge, and Vessel enter. The man who turns to greet them is Ser Lorwick, but we notice a hook where his left hand was last time he was onscreen. Malena is surprised to see him again, and he is happy to see her.

Malena explains that the Order has made a mistake, and that the man in their care is a danger to the whole Empire.

Despite the threat to the empire being only Nameless’s cover story, Ser Lorwick does not deny it, and so we assume that it is true. But he is curious how Malena knows.

Ser Lorwick accepts this help, and they all descend into an underground tunnel that Ser Lorwick explains leads straight to the safe house.

Ext, The Dregs

Establishing shot of a small hovel in a row of small hovels, with a beggar sitting in front of it. Dolly back to see:

Törk returns and reports. “One guard in front, disguised. Three more inside, visible from the roofs behind.”

Cut to Eyon, slipping into shadows and down into the tunnels below The Dregs. He peers into his pocket and withdraws the bauble he picked up last episode.

Törk climbs atop a nearby roof and peers over as Nameless approaches the beggar-guard.

Nameless first attempts to get in by sheer familiarity, but this Order member does not trust her. She instead tries to bluff her way in, claiming that the Library is under attack, and that Ser Lorwick sent her to protect the safe house.

The delivery is convincing, but the beggar-guard hesitates. Why would Ser Lorwick send this woman, who is not of the Order? Why wouldn’t she come via the tunnels? And if there is a problem, why hasn’t the alarm sounded?

Cut to Eyon, peering at the bauble. Ser Lorwick and his coterie come around the corner, and their lanterns cast light down the tunnel. The bauble shines in the darkness, and Eyon’s location is given away. Malena, recognizing both the bauble and the person holding it, shouts: “How could you!?” while Ser Lorwick and his men charge.

The charge is short-lived. Purge throws his shield to stop the Order members from attacking Eyon, and Eyon uses the distraction to drop a flash bomb, blinding everyone.

Cut back to the doorway. The alarm sounds from inside and the beggar-guards objections are overruled. He steps backward, and motions for Nameless to follow, which she does. Törk leaps down from his hiding place and rolls inside, slipping past the beggar-guard.

Nameless corners Ethril, who is looking very scared. Malena follows Nameless in just in time to hear Nameless explain that Ethril is in grave danger, and that he will be safer if he flees with them. Ethril is unsure but convinced, but Malena sees through the lie; Nameless knows that Ethril is not safe anywhere, but she is not putting Ethril’s safety first.

Vessel is thrown through a wall by a Golden Order member. He stands, “We have to get out of here!”

Nameless grabs Ethril and leaps out the window. She sprouts the ethereal green wings and glides down. Malena leaps after her, crumpling to the ground as she does so.

Törk hears Ser Lorwick and his men coming up the stairs from the tunnels below, and throws a dead draconic down the stairs to slow them down, then runs to meet Nameless.

Eyon disentanlges himself from the last standing draconic and runs. Purge downs the draconic and runs, too.

Ser Lorwick ascends the stairs just in time to see the mass exodus. His eyes narrow, “Callista…”

Vessel saunters downstairs, and is quite surprised to find Ser Lorwick there. “This isn’t what it looks like, and I’m sure this isn’t going to make it look any better.” He teleports outside and runs with the others.

Int, Soup Kitchen

Vessel sits back with his. “Is it bad that this went exactly as I expected it to?”

They all drink and make merry. Ethril is seen sleeping in a cot in the background.

Time passes. Törk wanders away from the group, sits, and takes out the letter from the Orc Lord. He breaks the seal, reads, and his mouth falls open.

Purge also pulls away from the merriment. He goes to a back room and we see Nameless in the middle of a ritual. Purge steps closer, “Is it done?” And Nameless’s eyes open, cackling with power, “Almost.”